A warm welcome to Panos N. Papapanou, Professor of Periodontology at the Department of Dental Medicine

What is your role? What will you be working on?

My exact academic responsibilities are still under development. Nonetheless, my aim is to contribute to the educational, research and patient care missions of the Department of Dental Medicine in any way I can. I have been active in academia on both sides of the Atlantic for more than 35 years so I have acquired some experience on how to navigate university environments (which is a nicer way to say that I have committed every mistake possible and I’ve learned from it…)  So I would ultimately hope to serve as a resource for early and mid-career colleagues, collaborate with them and help them advance their academic standing and strengthen the already stellar reputation of the institution.,

What are your future research plans in your role here, and what do you see as the key areas of focus for your research over the coming years?

Over the past decades, my research has focused on microbial, and host determinants of susceptibility to periodontitis, as well as on its role as a general health stressor. I have collaborated with colleagues across a wide spectrum of specialties within the biomedical sciences, ranging from epidemiologists, biostatisticians and bioinformaticians, to cardiologists, neurologists and obstetrician/gynecologists. It has been a concrete way to reinforce the notion that the mouth is an integral part of the body, and that dental medicine is in fact central to the general medical practice. In later years, I have focused on the role of periodontal infection/ inflammation on cognitive decline and dementia. So, in the immediate future, I would like to continue my research on periodontitis susceptibility as well as on the link of periodontitis and cognition. I am in the process of identifying partners to pursue these goals, and Karolinska appears to be a fertile and conducive environment for collaborations. 

What are you most looking forward to about working here at KI?

I am very excited to be back in Europe after almost 30 years in New York and work in a top-tier institution as Karolinska and in an environment that although new, feels quite familiar. Interacting with junior colleagues and helping them navigate the academic world has always been one of the most rewarding experiences in my university life and I would really want to focus on that.

Where are you from, and what have you done before?

I was born in Greece and did my basic DDS training at the University of Athens. I moved to Göteborg right after my graduation from the Dental School,  for what I originally expected to be a two-year period for clinical training in periodontology. I ended up doing both my PhD and my clinical training there, as well as initiating my academic career there. I worked in Sweden for a total of 13 years, first as faculty at the Department of Periodontology and, after my post-doctoral training in Boston, at the Department of Oral Microbiology. I I was recruited to Columbia University in New York, where I became Director of the Division of Periodontology, Department Chair of Oral, Diagnostic and Rehabilitation Sciences, and Vice Dean for Global Engagement and Strategic Initiatives. I met my wife, who is also a Columbia Professor, in New York and we raised two wonderful kids who are now well-rounded human beings and accomplished professionals.  So I can now look forward to my next exciting chapter in Sweden, a place where I spent important, formative years and have a lot of good friends. 

What do you do when you’re not working?

I listen to music, read, travel, ski and enjoy good food and wine!